The present invention relates generally to printing presses and more particularly to grippers and saddle binders.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,482,141 discloses a method and device for conveying signatures from a blade chain conveyor supporting the signatures directly at a fold line. The signatures are gripped from above by orbitally-rotating clamping pads, which then transfer the signatures to a belt conveyor perpendicular to the blade chain conveyor.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,740,900, hereby incorporated by reference herein, discloses an apparatus for splitting an initial product stream comprising a single conveying belt having a plurality of grippers traveling along a single conveyor path. At least one of the grippers is capable of rotating a held product from one side of the belt to the other side, so as to create a secondary product stream.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,213,280, hereby incorporated by reference herein, discloses a compact gripper having both a high gripper force and a large gripper jaw travel. The gripper includes stationary gripper member and a movably mounted gripper member being relatively movable toward said stationary gripper member.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,612,559 discloses a conveying device in which printed products are safely guided in the area of the intermediate conveying device and which makes it possible to connect two chain conveyors such that they have different conveying directions. Printed products are no longer pushed by followers between two chain conveyors but are gripped and guided by grippers and in this way transported from the first chain conveyor to the second chain conveyor.
U.S. Pat. No. 7,192,027, hereby incorporated by reference herein, discloses a device permitting removal of signatures from a saddle conveyor. A signature transport device includes a first conveyor for moving a plurality of folded signatures in a first direction, and a second conveyor including a first blade having a first edge parallel to the first direction for lifting a first signature of the plurality of signatures from the first conveyor.